Moments in Collapse
by unholymountain
Summary: A series of drabbles focused on Skye and Ward. Not in chronological order.
1. Agent Grant Bored

"Graaaaaant?" Skye's voice sing-songed through the walls of the Bus, carrying from the lounge to the sleeping quarters, where one tired specialist was trying very hard to put said quarters to their stated purpose. "Graaaant Waaaaaard?"

Ward turned to the side and lifted his pillow over his ears. It wasn't that he didn't like Skye. She'd been on the team for only a short while, but already he could barely imagine the Bus without her. She even played battleship with him, a surefire sign that she was not, as SHIELD (or apparently everyone, but he didn't know if he really believed that) would say, a "bad seed." But right now, he was tired. Their last mission had been especially taxing for him, requiring a mile-long sprint down a beach while under fire. After he came down from that adrenaline high, he wanted nothing more than to knock himself out until they reached their next destination.

The next musical summons sounded much quieter to him and Ward smirked, maneuvering himself as to best fall asleep with the pillow in that position. He didn't hear anything for the next minute and almost drifted off. Then,

"Agent Grant Ward, I am Agent Grant Bored!" Skye belted out from what could only be the doorway of his room. Not even Ward's improvised pillow shield could protect him. "Agent Grant Bored," Skye tittered to herself, proud of her creation.

Ward sighed, then roused himself. Putting on his best scowl, he towered over the girl standing in his doorway, puffing his chest out and flexing his muscles while keeping his arms crossed. It was, all in all, quite an intimidating sight.

Skye was unfazed. "Good, you're awake," she said. "Battleship?" She held up the game box with a smile Ward was sure, if tested, could melt an iceberg.

"Tired," he grunted.

"Bored," she returned in what was obviously her best Grant Ward impersonation. She smiled again. "Come on," she said, grabbing his arm. "It's three hours to our destination and I have nothing to do."

Ward sighed.

"Hit," said Ward. He had lost more quickly than usual, probably due to his unusual strategy of placing his pieces in a row in the middle of the grid. As the agent looked over his fleet, covered in red markers, he wondered why he had thought that was a good idea. "You sank my battleship."

"Wow," Skye said, staring at him with more than a little amazement. "You are tired. There wasn't even a hint of bitterness when you said that." She tilted her head to the side and studied him.

"Play again?" asked Ward. He was still exhausted, but part of being a Supervising Officer was tending to the emotional well-being of his trainee. She seemed to be having fun. He could manage.

But Skye was shaking her head, rising from the table. "Nope, Ward. We are getting you to bed. I didn't realize how tired you were; I'll find something else to entertain me." She pulled him up from the table, placing his arm over her shoulders. "Come on, Mr. Tough Guy. Even robots need sleep sometimes."

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Ward grumbled, and Skye laughed.

"Guess so," she said. They walked in comfortable silence back to Ward's quarters, and at the door Ward let go of Skye and collapsed onto his bed. Skye stood over him. "You know," she began, "if you were this tired, you should have said something. It's no fun playing against someone who's a minute away from nodding off." Ward rolled over and mumbled something. "What was that?"

"S.O... responsible for morale... emotional health..."

Skye smirked. "You played Battleship with me instead of sleeping to keep up my morale? Geez Ward, way to make me feel like an asshole. My 'morale' is fine. How do you measure morale anyway? Good? Strong? High? High sounds right." She looked down. Ward was barely conscious, and likely had not followed any of what she said. But as he buried his head in the pillow she heard his voice again.

"Besides... pretty when you play... smile a lot..."

Skye grinned. Now there was something she didn't hear everyday. Nearly-asleep Ward was more unguarded than normal Ward. She bent down and kissed his cheek, doubting he'd remember when he woke up. "I think you're pretty sharp too," she whispered. "Grant." She straightened and glanced down. He was fast asleep.


	2. Alone

Backstory: Ward gets a little downtime after the Hydra mission at the fridge.

Ward walked through the rooms in one of Garrett's many safehouses where they were spending the night. It was, from his quick inspection, a well-stocked refuge, complete with medical supplies, an entire closet of provisions, and - more importantly, thought Ward - alcohol. After he poured himself a glass of one of the stronger whiskeys in the selection, he reached for the cabinet of painkillers Garrett had pointed him to, then stopped.

He deserved to feel the pain.

He had killed innocent soldiers today. Soldiers who were just doing their duty. Who had risked their lives (or so they thought) to help him.

Ward drained his glass and reached for the bottle to fill it up again.

"I wouldn't do that," came a voice from across the table. "You've probably got another mission tomorrow."

Ward jerked his head up. Sitting across from him, with something resembling a frown on his face, was...him.

But on second glance, there were a few differences. The Ward across from him was wearing a tailored suit. His hair was combed; his face was clean and unbruised. He looked like...well, he looked like Ward from a few weeks ago.

"Starting to figure it out, huh? That's right, Agent Ward - oh, but you're not an agent anymore, are you. You're just a man who betrayed people who gave him nothing but kindness." The expression on other Ward's face had changed to a sneer. "You're despicable, you know that?"

"And what would you have me do?" shot back Ward, driven by an unknown urge to defend himself from the apparition. "Leave Garrett to die? I owe him everything! He saved me - us - from our family, from jail. How could I just leave him?"

The other Ward raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself there, Grant. Tell me, if you owe Garrett everything, does that mean you owe nothing to anyone else? What about Fitz, whose gadgets saved you from countless hazardous situations? Simmons? She patched you up after every mission, no matter how light your injuries were! May? Where would you be without her fighting by your side in battle? Coulson? Has there ever been -"

"Shut up!" cursed Ward. "I don't want to hear it."

The phantom just laughed. "Truth too painful? Deal with it. Coulson is the best man you know - yes, even better than Garrett - and you know it, you know that it's true regardless of how much you don't like what I'm saying." He paused for a moment. "Can you think of anyone else on the team? Anyone else you might...owe something to?"

"Shut up," whispered Ward, cringing. He knew what was coming. Oh god, he knew.

"How about a certain hacker who broke through that icy wall you call a heart and actually got to know you? Who you've told things to you've never told anyone, except for Garrett? Who actually cares about your sorry existence? How about her, Ward?"

"Shut up..."

"Skye. What about Skye?"

Ward finally broke. "Shut up!" he bellowed. "I hate you!"

Other Ward leaned forward, with the air of a predator that had exhausted its prey and knew that it was about to eat. "You know what's sad, Ward? You don't hate me. You hate that you can't be me anymore. You hate the time you spent as me, SHIELD Specialist Grant Ward, was the only time in your pathetic life that you actually felt anything resembling happiness."

Ward swiped his hand forward, out of responses. When it just passed through the other man, who regarded him amusedly, he reached instead for the whiskey.

"Ah, good choice, Ward," sneered the visage. "Run, hide, it doesn't matter. I'll still be here when you wake up. Know why?" he said, tapping Ward's forehead as the man lifted the bottle to his lips. "Because I'm you. And no matter how far you flee, you can't run from yourself."

The alcohol poured down Ward's throat and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was alone.


	3. Domo Arigato Mr Roboto

In retrospect, Ward should have known that it was coming.

It had been Coulson at first. Skye had brought it up during between mission downtime. _Hey AC, don't you think you could use a theme song? _Amused (and quite possibly unable to say no to Skye), Coulson had lightheartedly agreed, and probably thought no more of it.

It was only two days after that the comms began playing "Suit and Tie" as soon as the agent walked into a room. They had all laughed, of course - at first. But when it kept going, and started over every time Coulson changed location, even he began to look a little worn. Skye picked up on the signs, though. The Bus was quiet for a week.

In retrospect, Ward should have guessed that it wouldn't end there.

No one could have guessed that May would be the next target, but the hacker and the specialist had formed an understanding since May advocated for Skye to be put off the bus. There was mutual respect, if not outright affection, between the two. This time, there was no warning, at least not one Ward had seen. They had all been waiting for May in the briefing room, and when she finally showed up, the speakers came to life.

"Dangerous...the girl is so dangerous..." As Michael Jackson's sweet tones wafted across the room, everyone froze and stared at the most dangerous person on the plane.

It was one of the only times they saw Melinda May smile.

Perhaps out of respect for May, the song never reappeared. The next two weeks were quiet.

In retrospect, Ward should have noticed it was too quiet.

In retrospect, Ward should have realized that he was going to be next.

He remained painfully unaware the morning of. Coulson and May were off reporting to some SHIELD higher-ups, while the rest of the team enjoyed a nice sleep in. Ward got in some early morning exercise, and after heading back to his room for a shower, went out to join everyone for breakfast. What greeted him, however, was not the usual chaos of Fitz inventing new ways to eat cereal (after the "vaporized cheerios" incident, Ward was not volunteering to sample anything anymore) and Simmons gleefully encouraging him (her "mixed-particle raisin bran" was not any better). Instead, he walked in to the sound of blaring music.

Or rather, the blaring music accompanied him as he walked in:

"Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,  
Mata ah-oo hima de  
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,  
Himitsu wo shiri tai"

Ward could only shake his head as Skye, Fitz, and Simmons collapsed into giggles.

"You're wondering who I am-machine or mannequin  
With parts made in Japan, I am the modern man"

Ward turned around to leave, but Skye pulled herself together enough to offer him a warning. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the hacker said with a smirk she didn't even bother to disguise. With a resigned look on his face, Ward swiveled back around.

"It's going to start over as soon as I enter another room, isn't it?" The look on Skye's face told him the answer to that question.

Skye patted the seat next to her with a smile. "Come sit down, Mr. Roboto. If you make it through the whole thing, I'll _consider _turning it off."

The specialist made his way to the chair. A challenge with a payoff like that couldn't be passed up.


	4. Withdrawal Symptoms

Coulson really had no idea at the gravity of the punishment he had handed out to Skye.

While the team had mostly forgiven her for helping Miles out, the bracelet was still on her wrist. It had been on her wrist for nearly two weeks.

It felt like the longest two weeks of her life.

Skye lived computers. She breathed computers. Ever since she was a little girl, she had learned to manipulate them, taught her fingers a delicate dance across the keyboard. She could do anything with the adequate equipment - and she could do a lot with _in_adequate equipment, too.

A computer in her hands was a musical instrument, a library, a microphone, a weapon.

Also, there were a lot of cute pictures of cats on the Internet.

But the bracelet prevented her from that. Out of respect for Coulson and a real desire for penance, she had waited a week before trying to circumnavigate the device. Once the wait proved too much, she had tried using only the unadorned hand, holding the other one as far away as she could. That hadn't worked. She had tried covering it with sheets, clothes, tape, and once, memorably, peanut butter. Nothing. She had even tried soaking the bracelet in water. No luck. The only option she had left was getting someone else to use a computer for her, and Skye was desperate enough to try it.

Coulson was out. As the person who had put the inhibitor on her, he probably wouldn't be receptive to her getting around it. May was also not an option, given that Skye was still a tiny bit scared of her. Besides, she would probably follow Coulson's lead. And the idea of asking May to google "catvengers" was too ludicrous to even consider.

Fitzsimmons would probably help her, but if one of them knew they both would, and neither was particularly quiet or good at keeping secrets. Which left Skye with only one alternative: Ward.

Things had been getting better between her and her supervising officer after the initial sting of her betrayal had faded, but they still weren't at the level they were before it happened. Skye would have been comfortable asking that Ward for help, the one who'd supported her to Coulson, who had given her a compliment _and _a smile. But she didn't want to make a bad impression on Ward now, not when their relationship was just beginning to turn back to normal.

Still, Skye really needed to use a computer. _Needed_ to. She hadn't checked her Facebook, she hadn't checked her email, and oh god - she hadn't checked her tumblr.

Taking a deep breath, Skye went to confront her S.O. He was reading on the couch, absorbed in his book, and didn't even look up when she walked in, although Skye was certain he'd heard her. She took a few seconds to check him out - no sense in passing up a good opportunity, and _damn _if he didn't fill in that white t shirt well - before getting his attention.

"Ahem. Ward?" she asked, a bit tentatively. He looked up, raising his eyebrows. "Would you be willing to...help me with something?"

Ward shrugged. "Of course," he answered, putting his book down. "What's the problem?"

Taking his receptiveness as a sign of encouragement, Skye elaborated. "Well, as you know, this bracelet kind of shorts out any technology I try to use," she said, lifting her arm befitted with the device in question. "And I get that I can't be trusted, I do, but it won't even let me look at non-SHIELD information. So I was wondering if maybe you could use a computer for me?" Sensing his reluctance, she added to her argument.

"Please, Ward? The whole idea is that I can't access any sensitive stuff. You'll be watching the entire time."

Ward bit his lip, looking conflicted. And hot. "Alright," he agreed, and Skye mentally high-fived herself. That was easier than she thought. "But no funny business, okay? And Coulson can't know about it."

"Of course, of course," Skye said, grinning. "Thanks, Ward. And I know I apologized already, but I want you to know that I really am sorry about the whole Miles business. It was stupid of me." She would have continued, but the agent was shaking his head.

"I do know you're sorry, Skye," he said, as he got up from the couch. "I wouldn't be doing this otherwise."

"Great!" Skye punched him lightly in the chest. "My bunk or yours?"

Ward froze. "Um...what?"

"For the computers, doofus. I'm assuming you don't want to do it out here where Coulson could walk by any minute?"

"Oh. Right. Um. My bunk's fine." Ward started towards his room, and Skye quickly followed, grabbing her powered off laptop. Ward's room was spartan, with few personalizations; there was a stack of books in a corner, but everything else looked exactly like her room did before she accessorized it. Skye threw herself on the bed, bouncing around a bit before realizing that she left nowhere for Ward to sit. It was a pretty small bed. She moved herself over to one side, and beckoned Ward to the other.

"Here," she said. "I think it will work if you sit here and I read over your shoulder." Ward sat down and she handed him the computer. As he pressed the button and waited for it to boot, he turned towards her.

"So what was so pressing that you couldn't wait to look it up? Coulson's probably going to take your inhibitor off in a few days. You know he can't stay mad at you."

Skye batted her eyelashes at him. "Who can?" she said, and then laughed. "I just nee- I just wanted to check some things. Facebook, you know. Nothing important."

Rolling his eyes, Ward punched the address into the keyboard. "Password?" he asked.

_Shit_. Skye had not thought this through. Still, she had come this far, and it would be a shame to give up now. "Thorssexyarms," she mumbled.

"What?"

"I said," Skye repeated, her cheeks a little red, "Thor's sexy arms. All one word. No capitals or punctuation." Ward snorted. "Shut up," she said, swatting his back. "It's not like I thought anyone else would see it."

Ward chuckled. "You know," he said as he typed the password in, "when working for a secret government agency, having a Facebook is generally not a good idea." Her page loaded, a few notifications and one message hovering up on screen.

"I know, I know," Skye responded, eyes on the screen. "Click on the message." Ward complied. Skye leaned in to read it, her chin resting on Ward's shoulder. Unfortunately (for that had been a very comfortable position), the computer screen began flickering. Skye jerked back, and Ward glanced at her, amused.

"Want me to read it to you?" Skye nodded, a bit wary. Hopefully this wouldn't be too personal. Her fears were confirmed by his next words. "It's from 'Alicia Greenberg,'" he said. Skye's stomach did a somersault. She moved to cut him off but he had already begun reading it.

"Hey Skye! Just wondering if you're free to cosplay next weekend, I still have your Iron Man costume," Ward read, more than a hint of mirth in his voice. "It feels like ages since we last hit the Tower. Just looking at this picture made me feel so nostalgic!"

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Skye did not know why she ever thought asking Ward to check her Facebook was a good idea. She had been without Internet for too long. It was messing up her brain.

Her S.O. did not seem terribly unhappy with her decision, however. He had collapsed in laughter at the image in front of him, which Alicia had ever so helpfully included in her message. It showed Skye and a few other people in costume posing in front of Stark tower. Skye was dressed in full Iron Man regalia, save her head, which remained uncovered to leave no doubt to her identity.

"Having fun?" Skye asked dryly. Ward recovered, with some effort.

"Wait," he said, in a tone that could only be described as gleeful. Skye had rarely seen him like this, and had to admit it was worth the embarrassment to expose this side of Ward. "There's more." He began reading out loud again. "All the crew misses you. Do you remember that time when Captain America was rumored to be in that cafe and we -" at this, Skye lunged forward, reaching her arms around Ward to get her bracelet close to the screen. The computer promptly died, and Skye let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Sorry, Robocop. That next part might have shorted your circuits."


End file.
